This paper discusses three aspects: heteronormativity, the gender stereotypes and attitudes towards gender that can be found in teaching materials for reading in the Spanish subject at upper secondary level in Sweden. The corpus for this study is a selection of anthologies and novels that are published in the Spanish language in Sweden. In order to identify heteronormativity, gender stereotypes and attitudes towards gender of the characters and narrators, the corpus is examined according to a number of variables such as sex, age, marital status, social class, and nationality, as well as theories and concepts such as hegemonic masculinity, androcentricity, homosociality, sexist attitudes (misogyny and misandry), the gender contract and binary opposition systems. The data will be presented in both quantitative and qualitative terms, and the outcome of this analysis will highlight the presence of gender stereotypes where the presence of female characters is minimal while the dominant presence of male characters establishes the norm, so that it is the stories of male characters that describe the world. Female characters do not participate in the public sphere; they are represented as mothers, sisters or daughters. They are seen as sexual objects who do not have a voice. Nevertheless, few cases of sexism (misogyny and misandry) are found in the corpus, and there are even cases of transgression that weaken the stereotype of the submissive woman, as well as cases of transgression where men express their feelings.

Margaret Atwood’s novel Surfacing has received considerable critical attention on the issue of “a positive female identity” in a patriarchal society. However, given Atwood’s own stress on the fact that the novel is about the ways both genders work in relation to each other, this criticism has lacked in scrutiny of the novel’s male characters. With a relational approach to the female and male characters, this thesis argues that while creating a positive identity for its female protagonist, the novel effectively creates a rather negative one for its male characters. In order to examine certain sets of relations and the qualities which represent the most honored way of being a man in the novel, I apply the concept of “hegemonic masculinity,” which can be understood as the pattern of practices that explain male domination over women. It is indeed this hegemonic masculinity that the Surfacer rejects in her quest for emancipation. By looking at the hegemonic masculinity in Surfacing, I argue that the novel depicts very typically patriarchal characters in Joe and David and that the society is typically patriarchal. The thesis is divided into three main sections, each examining the most important sets of relations concerning Atwood’s female emancipation. First, I analyze hegemonic structures in the world of the protagonist, including the issues of power, emancipation, and complicity. Then I look into the sexual division of labor to show that the characters assume their default roles without much reflection. Finally, I scrutinize the characters’ relation to the Symbolic and how it affects their sense of identity. In each section, the analyses show that the male characters are reduced to tropes who only serve one function: to be stereotypically oppressive, patriarchal figures in order to facilitate the protagonist’s positive change and empowerment. I argue that Atwood’s failure to imagine male emancipation somewhat taints the development of female identity because the female emancipation becomes arrested.

Food consumption plays an important role for future sustainable livelihoods and, in particular, the vegan diet is becoming increasingly popular among consumers of different societies. Understanding how people change their food habits is a major research quest and there is growing interest in the role of social media sites since these are important platforms for visual presentation online where individuals can influence others. This article investigates how vegan ‘men’ present themselves on the social media network Instagram. Drawing on the analytical framework of ‘hegemonic masculinity’, the study examines what values these individuals visually portray online. By conducting a content analysis of 600 top-posts that appear under the hashtag #veganmen, narratives are examined for what they convey and how certain ‘masculine’ perceptions are re-shaped or reinforced. The findings reveal the visual significance of ‘masculine’ self-presentation by vegan ‘men’ over other narratives that portray values of sustainability, compassion and empathy. Nonetheless, this narrative of ‘masculine’ self-presentation can still be understood as an attempt to motivate other individuals to embrace a plant-based diet and thereby contribute to change towards more ‘sustainable’ food consumption habits.

The aim of this study was to examine how authors on Instagram describe masculinity norms. We aimed to further analyse how the authors illustrate the consequences of masculinity norms in relation to social problems. The study is based on 25 posts from authors on Instagram which were analysed by a content analysis method. The theoretical framework in this study consists of Connells (1995, 2008) theory of masculinity. A conception of socialization is also included (Connell 1995, 2009). The results indicated that masculinity norms have a negative impact on men by how they are expected to be, what they are expected to feel, what is allowed for them to talk about, how they should act and what sexual desires they should have. Furthermore, the study showed how masculinity norms lead up to social problems such as reluctance to seek help and using violence against others. The main conclusion of this study was that social problems often are based on the fact that men, due to present masculinity norms, are in need of proving, defending or maintaining their masculinities in different contexts. The man himself along with everyone around him are the one who pays for the consequences of masculinity norms. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur författare på Instagram beskriver maskulinitetsnormer. Syftet var även att undersöka hur författare belyser konsekvenser av maskulinitetsnormer i relation till sociala problem. Studiens empiri byggdes på 25 inlägg från medlemmar på Instagram som analyserades med hjälp av en innehållsanalys. Studiens teoretiska referensram utgjordes av Connells (1995, 2008, 2009) maskulinitetsteori. Referensramen utgjordes även av begreppet socialisation (Connell 1995, 2009). Resultatet visade att maskulinitetsnormer har en negativ inverkan på hur män förväntas vara och vad de förväntas känna, vad som är tillåtet att tala om, hur de ska bete sig och vilka sexuella begär de ska ha. Studiens resultat visade även att maskulinitetsnormer leder till sociala problem såsom en motvilja att söka hjälp och ett våldsutövande gentemot andra. Studiens huvudsakliga slutsats blev att sociala problem många gånger grundar sig i att män på grund av rådande maskulinitetsnormer, i olika sammanhang behöver bevisa, försvara eller upprätthålla sina maskuliniteter. De som får betala priset för negativa konsekvenser av maskulinitetsnormer är mannen själv likt alla andra han har runt omkring.

Syftet med denna undersökning har varit att undersöka ifall män och kvinnor representeras på lika eller olika sätt i en svensk branschtidning. Syftet har även inkluderat att studera ifall det har skett någon förändring i denna representation över tid. Därför har undersökningen innefattat ett tidsperspektiv. Tidsperspektivet har inneburit att undersökningen har utförts vid fyra olika tidsnedslag, vilka är år 1981, 1991, 2001 samt 2011. Den frågeställning som vi har avsett att besvara är: Hur har män och kvinnor porträtterats i branschtidningen Veckans Affärer från 1980-talet fram till 2010-talet? Finns det likheter och/eller skillnader? Finns det också någon skillnad i hur mycket utrymme som män respektive kvinnor har fått i branschtidningen genom åren? Undersökningen har tolkats utifrån ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående av R.W. Connells teori om den hegemoniska maskuliniteten. De feministiska perspektiven liberalfeminism, radikalfeminism och marxistisk socialistisk feminism har också använts. Även Gunilla Jarlbro och Maria Edströms genomgång av genusstrukturer har använts som teoretiskt underlag i denna uppsats. Den metod som har använts till denna undersökning är dels en mindre kvantitativ räkning av samtliga nummer av tidningen Veckans Affärer under 1981, 1991, 2001 samt 2011. Därefter har en kritisk diskursanalys utförts på fyra stycken utvalda nummer från respektive tidsnedslag under undersökningsperioden. De huvudsakliga resultaten som har kunnat uttolkas i denna undersökning är att män får mycket mer utrymme i det undersökta tidningsmagasinet än vad kvinnor får. Det finns dessutom tydliga skillnader i hur män och kvinnor porträtteras i tidningsmagasinet. Den slutsats som därmed kan dras av denna undersökning är att kvinnor inte är helt jämställda män när det kommer till hur de representeras i media. / The purpose with this essay has been to study if men and women are represented in different ways in a Swedish trade magazine. The purpose has also been to study if there have occurred any differences over time. The study has therefore included a timeline where we have studied four years with ten years apart. These have been during the years of 1981, 1991, 2001 and finally 2011. The question formulation in this essay has consequently been as follows: In what ways have men and women been portrayed in the trade magazine Veckans Affärer from the 1980’s up to the 2010’s? Are there any similarities and/or differences? Is there also any difference in the amount of space that has been given to men and women in the trade magazine throughout the time? Several theories have been used in order to interpret the results of our study. These have consisted of R.W. Connell’s theory about the hegemonic masculinity, the three feministic perspectives of the liberal feminism, the radical feminism as well as the Marxist-socialistic feminism. Also the theory of different gender structures of Gunilla Jarlbro and Maria Edströms have been used. The method in this study has consisted of two steps, first has a smaller quantitative analysis been made. It has been made on all of the copies that have been published of the magazine Veckans Affärer during the time of our study, which is during 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011. A critical discourse analysis has subsequently been made on four chosen copies from all the chosen years during the time of our study, which are 16 copies of the magazine in total. The main result that we have been able to distinguish from our material is that men in general are provided more space in the studied magazine than women are. There are also clear differences in the ways that men and women are portrayed. One of the main differences in the magazine is that women are more often than men described to be more connected to the private sphere. The conclusion one therefore can draw from our study is that little has happened over time in the area of gender research. Women are still quite unequal compared to men in the ways they are portrayed in media.

The aim of our study was to examine how homosexual and heterosexual men and women are represented in the Swedish magazine QX, a magazine for gay, bisexual and transgender people. We wanted to find out what kind of roles the persons in QX appears in, and inquire the relationships that exist between them. We analyzed the texts in twelve magazines, from December 2008 to November 2009, in order to get the most current results as possible. We used a discourse analysis, with focus on identities, relationships and the representation of the world. Representations, gender, hegemonic masculinity and stereotypes have been significant theories to analyze our results. The results showed that the successful gay man is the most important person in QX. He is the perfect masculine macho fagot, who is highest in rank. Something we found remarkable is that the gay women are subordinate to men, despite that QX is a magazine for both parts. The results also showed that homosexual women are represented more stereotyped than the homosexual men. The heterosexual men are represented as the homosexual men’s supporter, while heterosexual women are represented very queer and argues that a human’s gender, is not primarily in focus when it comes to relations. In our results, we could also see that, generally, there is a more sexistic tone in texts about men than in texts about women.

Programs that utilize soccer as a tool for social change are steadily emerging throughout townships and rural areas in South Africa, the most economically disadvantaged areas of the country. In South Africa, grassroots sport-for-social-change organizations are compensating for failed government policies and programs that seek to help at-risk youth. As a result, program staff are often members of the community who are not versed in academic critiques of the use of sport in development initiatives. Additionally, much of the existing literature on sport-for-social-change champions the advancement of specific projects without asking critical research questions, which should include the appropriateness of the modality within a given context. In this case, the complexities of using soccer (e.g., its practices, historical significance, and gendered meanings) have not been thoroughly investigated. Soccer is not a "genderless" tool for social change. Participation in violent sports such as soccer has been used to bolster claims of a naturalized dominance of men over women. Although participation by girls and young women in soccer programs (professional and recreational) is increasing in urban townships and rural areas, soccer pitches remain largely "masculinized spaces." In this study, I use qualitative research methods to show how gendered discourses organize sport-for-social-change programs. Using Ashcraft and Mumby's theory of feminist communicology and Connell and Messerschmidt's reformulated theory of hegemonic masculinity, I examine three sport-for-social-change organizations in South Africa through an applied lens with a feminist standpoint. Semi-structured interviews with twelve key informants were conducted over a three-month period between May and August of 2009. All three organizations studied are grassroots organizations that work within a particular area of South Africa. They each target male children and youth between the ages of 6 and 19 from economically disadvantaged households and use soccer as a modality for social change, yet each organization operates within a different cultural context primarily based on participants' racial, regional, and ethnic identities. My research found that masculine discourses were constructed, maintained, and contested in sport-for-social-change organizations through: (a) (Not) Engaging in (Social) Fatherhood, (b) Challenging the Temptation to Lead a Gangster Life and Have a "Gangster" Attitude, and (c) Challenging Patriarchy, Physical Assault, and Cultural "Traditions." Discourses also created paradoxes that worked against the goal of contesting local hegemonic masculinities, although these paradoxes were not typically identified by organizational members. Although I found similarities in the influences of local discourses on organizations such as the lingering effects of The Group Areas Act on urban migration that influenced men's roles within their families; the desire to create positive male role models that rejected characteristics associated with exemplars of hegemonic masculinity identified in each case study; and concerns about stopping the pattern of domestic violence prevalent in some communities, an issue that is also related to spread of HIV, I also found differences. Differences were based primarily on racial, regional and ethnic signifiers and affected the goals of each organization as well as the design of programs aimed at achieving these goals. This study expands the literature on gender issues in sport-for-social-change programs, particularly the designation of public spaces such as soccer pitches as masculinized spaces where women take on the role of visitor rather than welcomed participants. The history of soccer in South Africa proves that changing the gender dynamics on the soccer pitch can lead to significant changes in people's attitudes. Although women in South Africa now also hold important seats in government, the "politics of the pitch" continues to reflect discriminatory practices based on gender. This study shows how Connell and Messerschmidt's (2005) reformulated theory of hegemonic masculinity can be used as a lens to examine the "gendering" (Ashcraft & Mumby, 2004) of organizations through discourse, and some of the repercussions of gendered organizing. Additionally, although this study identified exemplars of hegemonic masculinity that endorsed violent, sexist practices that worked to subordinate women and privilege men, the theory of hegemonic masculinity leaves open the possibility of identifying exemplars of masculinity that also endorse feminist ideals. For example, this study found that discourses surrounding soccer challenged the violent "Body as Weapon" mentality often endorsed by players during football matches. Participants also resisted deeply entrenched cultural beliefs about gender norms by endorsing an ethic of care. Therefore, future case studies of sport-for-social-change organizations may wish to focus on identifying discourses that reject patriarchal beliefs rather than endorse them.

In recent decades, male protagonists in Australian realist fiction for young adult readers have increasingly become more others-regarding, emotionally intelligent, and self-aware. (John Stephens 2000; Perry Nodelman 2002). Psychologist Roger Horrocks (1995) claims these protagonists are less “tendentious and more realistic” than male protagonists of the past. These boys, despite not bearing the hallmarks of hegemonic masculinity, develop subjective agency and ultimately propose new ways for young men to construct their gender identity. Using Phillip Gwynne’s (1998) Deadly Unna? and David Metzenthen’s (2000) Boys of Blood and Bone as case studies, and my own novel My Private Pectus as creative practice, I explore the construction and deconstruction of hegemonic, complicit, and alternative masculinities in Australian realist young adult fiction. I also analyse the construction of the New Age Boy—a label used by John Stephens for young male protagonists who develop positive self esteem because of their perceived gender differences compared to boys of the hegemonic masculine type. By critiquing the manner in which masculinities are constructed in each case study, and supporting my critique through the literature of leading gender theorists, I question the seemingly homogenous manner in which the New Age Boy gains agency. This question is further explored through my creative practice, as I put into dialogue a protagonist who also recognises his gender differences, but instead of proposing a new and better masculinity, he tries to adhere to and reap the rewards of hegemonic masculinity.

<p>The aim of our study was to examine how homosexual and heterosexual men and women are represented in the Swedish magazine QX, a magazine for gay, bisexual and transgender people. We wanted to find out what kind of roles the persons in QX appears in, and inquire the relationships that exist between them.</p><p>We analyzed the texts in twelve magazines, from December 2008 to November 2009, in order to get the most current results as possible. We used a discourse analysis, with focus on identities, relationships and the representation of the world. Representations, gender, hegemonic masculinity and stereotypes have been significant theories to analyze our results.</p><p>The results showed that the successful gay man is the most important person in QX. He is the perfect masculine macho fagot, who is highest in rank. Something we found remarkable is that the gay women are subordinate to men, despite that QX is a magazine for both parts. The results also showed that homosexual women are represented more stereotyped than the homosexual men. The heterosexual men are represented as the homosexual men’s supporter, while heterosexual women are represented very queer and argues that a human’s gender, is not primarily in focus when it comes to relations. In our results, we could also see that, generally, there is a more sexistic tone in texts about men than in texts about women.</p>

Det här är en kandidatuppsats i etnologi som bygger på ett fältarbete bestående av deltagande observationer och åtta intervjuer med stamgäster och personal på en sunkbar i centrala Stockholm. Syftet är att analysera hur olika maskulinitetsformer skapar en manlig stamgästgemenskap och hur detta uttrycks genom sexualitet och klass samt i relation till femininitet. Uppsatsen är teoretiskt inspirerad av framförallt maskulinitetsforskaren Raewyn Connell och kulturgeografen Linda McDowell där betoningen ligger på hegemonisk maskulinitet och förkroppsligandet av maskuliniteter i den specifika miljö som sunkbaren utgör. Stamgästernas olika positioner i klassamhället ger gemenskapen en dynamisk form samtidigt som heterosexualitet är en gemensam nämnare. Dessutom påverkar såväl avsaknad av kvinnor vid stambordet som att yrkeskvinnor intar maktpositioner i rummet hur maskulinitet formas och förhandlas på sunkbaren.